Fostering Faust 2, page 28
part #2 of Fostering Faust Series
“Such a bold admission. Most assumed you simply couldn’t control your commanders and wrote it off as that,” Clark said. “Even my own father believed that. That no count would ever stoop so low as to use tactics that weren’t honorable.”
Alex chuckled darkly at that.
“I find that honorable men are far more likely to fill a grave than those who are less than honorable. A man without honor seems much more prone to living a long life.
“That and I can always buy my pride or honor back. I can’t buy my life back,” Alex said with a shrug. He wasn’t about to defend his actions. They were what they were.
“I wonder if you’re always so… adaptable. Most people seem to think you’re still the same Alexander Brit you always were,” Clark said. “That everything you’ve done recently is luck, or a fluke. That you’ll go back to womanizing, gambling, and abusing your citizens.”
Raising his eyebrows at that, Alex wasn’t sure how he could respond.
“As your enemy, I can’t really answer that question,” Alex said after several seconds. “Though I would warn you not to test me. I tend to go with a policy that leaves little behind me.”
“Yes… as your moniker indicates, it’s a scorched-earth type of policy. Nothing behind you shall remain.
“Though… maybe we could talk about my father, this war, and my own position sometime soon,” Clark said, smiling with only his mouth. “And how that all relates to your position.”
Oh? Hm. That’s certainly a different proposition, if I know what he’s offering.
I’m not really sure how he expects me to give him the ducal title, though.
“Certainly would be an interesting conversation, I imagine. A worthwhile distraction from my incarceration. I must profess I’m lacking in many things at the moment, most especially distractions. And resources.”
Clark smiled at that, nodding his head.
“I’m glad we understand each other. For the time being, I only had enough time to speak with you briefly,” Clark said. “Though I’m finding myself quite happy with our meeting. I’ll wish you a good day for the time being.”
Standing up, Alex bowed his head to the other man.
You just wanted to get my measure and see if I could be utilized.
It would seem my time here won’t be filled with tedium, but danger.
Mentally sighing, Alex headed for the door.
I think I’d prefer the tedium, and just waiting for my ransom to be paid. Politics aren’t fun or easy.
Chapter 25
Alex was moving through the hall at a leisurely pace.
In the week since he’d been brought here, he’d learned most of the routines of keep life. He knew the maids, the servants, and the guards all by name. And how they spent their days and what their routes were.
That was all very important, need-to-know information. If he was given the chance to escape, he’d do so in a heartbeat. Even if it meant carving a path of bodies through people who greeted him with a smile every day.
Turning down the next hall, Alex headed toward an outer room near the front of the keep.
The number of guards would increase here, but they didn’t give Alex any trouble. If Eleanor was with him, they would pay him a bit more attention, if only because she was a trained weapon of war.
Otherwise, he was just Count Brit.
A guard straightened up as Alex walked by, unwilling to meet his eyes. He’d been noticing this behavior more and more. Initially, he’d thought it was dislike of his person. Though now, the more he saw it, he was starting to think maybe it was fear.
Eleanor and Rebekah had been right.
At the end of the hall he was traversing, he saw a door and two guards. They both came to full attention when they saw Alex heading their way.
The one on the right opened the door for him.
“Count Inferno, the emissary of the duchess will be here shortly,” said the guard on the left. “Though two guests with him have come ahead.”
“Thank you, Charles, for getting the door—and you, Michael, for the notification,” Alex said, sweeping past the two men. He’d been learning names as quickly as he could. It would do him well to make contacts while he was here.
With a soft click, the door closed behind him.
Inside the meeting room were two people, both a welcome surprise to him.
Nannie was on him before he could react, her wiry muscular arms closing around him like pythons. She pushed his head into her neck, smashing him to herself bodily.
“Alex,” she murmured into his ear, nuzzling the side of his face. Her hands moved up and down his back in long arcs, pressing him to her the entire time. “Master.”
Her head tilted inward and she kissed him heavily. Hungrily.
Several seconds later, she let him go, only to kiss him again repeatedly.
“Five, stop it,” Valeria said laughingly, one of her hands gently pressing on Nannie’s chin. “I want to greet him, too, before the emissary comes back.”
“Sorry, Three. Sorry, Alex,” Nannie murmured, kissing him twice more. “I just missed you. I missed you a lot.”
Nuzzling him tenderly, she gave him another kiss. Slowly, reluctantly, she released him and took a step away.
“I missed you too, Five. I’m very glad to see you’re well. Did you all make it out?” Alex asked, turning to Valeria.
The lovely and enchanting noblewoman didn’t answer him. Instead, she wrapped him up in a hug and kissed him lovingly. Melding herself to him as if she were a shirt. Her tongue darted into his mouth and her hands snaked down to grab his rear end.
Much quicker than Alex would have liked her to, Valeria ended the kiss and pressed her forehead to his.
“Everyone is fine. Two really was just sick, but she was able to move when she had to,” Valeria said softly. “One made it back to us and told us the whole story.”
Sighing, Alex felt an enormous burden in his heart fall away as if it had never been there to begin with.
“I’m so glad to hear you’re all fine. I was honestly sick with worry. You’re here as guests?” he asked.
Valeria nodded and kissed him twice more before also releasing him.
Only for Nannie to snatch him back up and hold him tightly, her lips locked on his.
“Five, I swear… yes, we’re here at Mistress Anna’s command. We traveled with the emissary as his personal guests on behalf of the duchess,” Valeria said from the side.
Alex only barely heard it as Nannie mauled him, her hands caressing and fondling him as her lips continued to kiss him over and over.
“She’s already put together everything she needs to buy your release,” Valeria continued, ignoring Nannie’s assault on Alex. “It’s just a matter of the duke agreeing to a price and setting you free.”
Gently pushing Nannie away while gasping for breath, and feeling very aroused, Alex nodded his head. “Good. Though I get the feeling the duke may want to hold on to me to keep me out of the duchess’s army.”
Nannie was gazing at him with a strange look, her eyes soft and warm.
“Give me the word and I’ll kill everyone in our way and take you home,” she said.
Patting Nannie’s cheek with a chuckle, Alex shook his head. “No, my dear Five. We’ll abide by the rules for the time being.”
Alex looked over to Valeria as Nannie pressed her face into his neck, acting like a much smaller and less murderous woman.
“Are you two going to be staying with me, or do you need to keep yourselves in the city?” he asked her.
Valeria was watching Nannie with what looked like mirth.
And a touch of jealousy, Alex thought.
“We have a meeting with the oldest of Gaelis’s line,” Valeria said, her eyes moving back to Alex. “I will petition him to allow Five and myself to serve you, on letters of good conduct. I don’t think he’ll disallow it.”
“No?” Alex asked, reaching up to gently run his fingers through Nannie’s hair. His other hand moved around her back in small circles.
“No. You’ve grown quite a reputation after Terk burned to the very paving stones.
“Apparently, you’re protected by a Fae Warlock. Crossing you results in nasty things happening,” Valeria said, her mouth slowly turning into a small frown.
Ah, she really is jealous. Can’t let that stand.
Reaching over with the hand on Nannie’s back, Alex gently cupped Valeria’s jaw. Then he drew her over to him and pressed his lips to her ear.
“Do not fret, my lovely Three, my pry bar, my tool. I’ll give you loving attention soon enough. All you can hold, and then some. Only after I’ve thoroughly shown you the care and love you deserve will I let your normal needs be filled,” Alex whispered into her ear.
Valeria shivered in his hand, her cheek pressing to his own. She nodded a bit, then kissed his cheek.
“I deserve it,” she murmured, barely above a whisper.
Good.
“Now come, my precious Numbered. Let’s have a seat and make ourselves semi-presentable,” Alex said aloud. “It wouldn’t do for us to be seen like this.”
Nannie and Valeria both moved away at his words, taking up two seats on one side of the table. A third was between them.
Deliberately kicking the chair out a bit, Nannie pointed at it with her finger. She didn’t say anything, and he could see her jaw flexing wildly.
She hasn’t been able to change gears yet. I wonder how she’s holding up. We were building up her emotional stability, weren’t we?
Turning her love into a real thing, with meaningful emotions.
Need to put some attention into her later.
Into all of the Numbered, probably.
Taking the seat, he reached over and gently patted Nannie on the knee. Her hand immediately grasped it, and her fingers intertwined with his.
“So, did One tell you I have two more Numbered?” Alex asked.
“Yes, though she said they weren’t fully contracted yet?” Valeria asked.
“Ah. Seven—Rebekah, the thief—is fully contracted now. Eleanor, Six, is everything but the bed. I’m sure I’ll have an opportunity for that soon enough,” Alex said.
“What kind of thief is she?” Nannie asked softly.
“A pick-pocket, actually. She’s been collecting coins, keys, notes, and letters whenever we move through the hallways and she gets a chance,” Alex said with a chuckle. “She’s been building a pile of things. Gives me the vast majority of it, though she keeps a bit for herself as her ‘cut,’ as she calls it.”
“As would be right,” Nannie said with some finality.
“And the other is a knight? Nobility?” Valeria asked.
“Indeed. I get the impression they’re a few marriages away from a minor barony, but upwardly mobile,” Alex confirmed.
He could practically hear her praise him in his mind for bringing on another noblewoman.
There was a clatter as the door opened and an older man with graying hair and blue eyes walked into the room.
“Ah, Count Brit. It’s good to meet you. My name is Francis. I’m the emissary for Duchess Tanulf to Duke Gaelis,” said the man, moving to immediately take the seat across from Alex. Once he sat down, he offered his hand across the table.
“A pleasure,” Alex said, shaking the man’s hand. “What can you tell me of what’s going on? I get precious little information from my captors.”
“Hm, I imagine so,” said the older man. “The war is turning in our favor. And in no small part due to your efforts.”
Leaning back in his chair, the older man pulled a pipe out from an inner pocket and began to stuff it with what Alex assumed was some form of tobacco.
“The duke lost almost everyone who was there in the blaze of Terk. It wiped out a portion of his army and burned up anything they’d brought in,” said Francis. “On top of that, the first snows have truly arrived in the last several days. Winter is upon us and it should make fighting almost impossible. He’ll have to decide what he wants to do rather soon.”
Alex nodded at that. He’d noticed snow on a few people’s boots who had patrols that went outside. His assumption at the time had been that the snowfall had started.
Winters in this part of the empire could bog everyone down and make an obstacle of the ground itself. Winter wars didn’t go well.
“The duchess is content to sit in her lines and wear Gaelis down for now. We opened back up the original front and are pushing into his territory now from the other side. We’ve taken more than we’ve lost, but that’s cold comfort for the earldom of Gers.”
Francis had gotten up, walked over to a candle, and picked it up. Turning it into his pipe, he took a few puffs and got it lit.
“The earl gave his lands up to the duke without a fight,” Alex said. “He didn’t even take the treasury. Left it for the duke to have.”
Francis quirked a brow at Alex as he came back to the table, but didn’t sit down.
“She knows. Your head maid told her. Debriefed her personally, actually. A wealth of information that the duchess used to her advantage, I can tell you that,” said Francis. “Though that brings us back to the here and now.
“She’s trying to buy your freedom as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, the duke seems unwilling to let you go quickly.”
Alex sighed and nodded at that. He’d wondered if he would be a piece too valuable to put a price tag on.
“If Count Inferno could be let loose back on the war front, it would be a boon to our troops and a bane to theirs. There is a considerable fear of you in your enemies, and a healthy respect amongst your allies,” Francis said. “I get the impression even the enemy respects your ability and how you’ve used it so far.”
“I take it there’s no chance of Gaelis the younger brokering a deal for my release?” Alex asked.
“Not without his father being in on it, no. And honestly, the duke hasn’t… been seen much of since the fire. What reports we’ve gotten back suggest he was wounded rather badly in that conflagration,” Francis said, then paused for several seconds. “How’d you manage that, by the way? By all reports and everything we can find out, you weren’t even in the city when it happened.”
“I had nothing to do with it, of course,” Alex said with a shrug.
“Hm. Well, I’m going to head back to my room. I’ve conveyed everything I can to you for the time being, and there isn’t much more to be said,” said Francis. “Other than keep your head down and wait. The duchess will get you out as soon as she can.”
Nodding his head at Alex, Francis moved to the door, casually puffing on his pipe.
Nannie stood up and followed the emissary, closing the door behind the man as soon as he left. Then she pressed her hand to the handle and looked to Valeria.
“What do you need us to do, Master?” asked Valeria. “Coffin is in the city, as well as my other agents.”
Alex grinned at her, surprised. “My little spymaster. Aren’t you a peach?
“For now, nothing. There isn’t much to do as of yet. Once we have something to go on, I’ll let you know and we’ll start making moves immediately,” Alex said.
“I understand. Is there anything you need?” she asked.
“Not really. To be perfectly honest, they’re treating me rather well. There really hasn’t been anything untoward done to me in any way.”
“They fear you,” Valeria said with a nod. “Everyone fears Count Inferno now. What you did to Terk was… brutal. One talked to us Numbered about the whole thing. I take it you were able to enact your plan?”
“Indeed. Just as we left,” Alex said with a smirk.
“One also mentioned the treasury. Anna immediately went to confirm it, and she plans on using it to pay back the duchess for your release. She doesn’t want to be in debt to her,” Valeria said.
“That’d be a wise thing to plan for. How’s she doing? The pregnancy and all, that is…” Alex said, his voice trailing off.
“She’s swelling up quickly. She’s been sick quite often, but I hear that’s normal. She looks like she’s in her fourth month, but it should only be her third or second by our reckoning. Mary looks… massive,” Valeria murmured.
Turning her head slightly to one side, Valeria threw a glance to Nannie.
The other woman had turned her head to the door and was apparently listening to a conversation happening between the guards just outside.
Valeria moved in closer to Alex.
“Do forgive her for being so… needy. I’ve been keeping the girls on your hook while you were gone,” Valeria said softly. “On top of that, Four came through with all your instructions. Our families are safe and secure in Brit, protected by your reputation and your actions.
“Nannie has seen her mother more this year than in the last three.”
Alex nodded. He was glad to hear it.
“Two will bed you for a month straight if you let her. I get the impression she wants to do anything you ask of her,” Valeria continued. “Five will likely do the same, but I think she wants your attention more than anything. She’s actually rather tender when it comes to you. Still as violent with everyone else, though. She takes delight in killing Gaelis’s soldiers.”
No surprise there for either of them, I suppose.
“One is… distraught. She feels like she failed you. Four and I assured her she’s done no such thing. Though I was surprised you let her stop taking Mother’s Bane.”
Alex shrugged. He’d already figured that would get back to the other Numbered.
“I felt a carnal desire to do it, so I let it happen. Though she wasn’t pregnant last I saw of her,” Alex said.
“She’s still not. I think she was on Bane far too late into the month to catch a child that soon. If she did… well… children born too close to Mother’s Bane are always said to be touched,” Valeria said.
“As for Four, she’s rather upset about not getting her punishment. She’s really looking forward to you taking her apart at your earliest convenience.”
That’s a good point. Maybe I’ll have Seven participate with that one.
“And for me… I… want you to love me. I’ve been thinking on what you said. I do deserve your attention. I think,” Valeria muttered. “But I’d like to try. So… please, yes. Love me like you do Five. Then break me.”
